


E is for Evaluation

by kuriadalmatia



Series: Alphabet Meme Series [9]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-17
Updated: 2012-02-16
Packaged: 2017-10-31 07:42:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/341648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuriadalmatia/pseuds/kuriadalmatia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spencer is suspicious when Aaron pulls out all the stops for a romantic evening, so he searches for the reason behind it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. E is for Evaluation

**Author's Note:**

> ARCHIVING: my LJ, AO3, DW and FFNet account ... anyone else? Please ask first.
> 
> COMMENTS: Part of the The Great A-Z Multifandom Drabbling Meme. Unbetaed. Originally published in 2010.
> 
> Feedback always welcome.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: The Mark Gordon Company, ABC Studios and CBS Paramount Network Television own Criminal Minds. Salut! I just took them out to play and I promise put them back when I'm done. I'm not making any profit just trying to get these images out of my head.

/***/

It wasn't the first time that Aaron set the dinner table with actual plates, cloth napkins and placemats; most of the time, it was Chinette in front of the television because they were just too tired to mess with 'proper' things.

It wasn't the first time Aaron poured the wine into an exquisite crystal decanter and served it in the matching goblets.

It wasn't the first time that Aaron made a full meal from scratch on a weeknight, even if the man's culinary skills weren't on the same level as his brother's.

It wasn't the first time that Aaron lit the taper candles and lowered the lights while they ate.

It wasn't the first time they had strawberries in bed.

It wasn't the first time they spent the evening making love—slow, sensual, generous…Aaron trying to last as long as he could—and then falling asleep tangled and sticky.

It was, however, the first time that Aaron did all of those things in one night.

Spencer also knew that breakfast was going to be an elaborate affair, judging by what was still in the fridge, even though they had to be in the office by eight in the morning.

It was only natural for Spencer to wonder what prompted Aaron to do all these things; after all, he made his living recognizing patterns and, well, this was a deviation from the normal routines. Spencer knew it wasn't an anniversary. It wasn't a prelude to asking Spencer to move in (he just couldn't and thankfully Aaron understood that), which also ruled out a marriage proposal (the FBI wasn't _that_ liberal and neither one of them wanted to leave the BAU).

He went through his mental checklist on what had prompted such an overture from Aaron.

No recent near-death experiences.

No recent doctor appointments.

No recent…

Spencer shifted, working himself out from the sleepy yet possessive hold of his lover. He knew it would wake Aaron—everything did and it was kind of unnerving—so he turned and planted a gentle kiss on Aaron's temple. "Gotta…you know… _go_."

That earned drowsy chuckle because it was a little joke between them.

Aaron released him and was back to sleep almost immediately. Spencer got out of bed, pulling the covers up so that his side wouldn't grow too cold, and padded to the bathroom. Once he finished, he went out into the main area of Aaron's apartment and over to Aaron's desk. Aaron still kept a written appointment planner even though he was faithful about updating his Blackberry calendar.

If the planner was open to tomorrow's date, Spencer would look. If it wasn't, he wouldn't snoop. He might ask Aaron over breakfast. _Might_. Because there was the chance that last night was a random expression of love. Spencer sighed.

He looked down at the desk and then to the planner. Aaron's abbreviations were somewhat cryptic but to Spencer? It was one of the easier codes to break.

"ES-DsO-PE" was next to 9 AM

Spencer stared. _Erin Strauss, Director's Office, Performance Evaluation._

"Fuck," he whispered. He clenched his hands to his sides. He shook his head as he whispered to himself, "Oh, Aaron."

He knew exactly what his lover was thinking: _One last hurrah before the apocalypse._

The Team knew about them, of course. It wasn't so much because they _worked_ with world class profilers but practically _lived_ with them. Aaron and Spencer hadn't made an official announcement, but each member of the team tacitly acknowledged them in their own way. Spencer often wondered if the rest of the BAU knew, but Garcia reassured him as recently as three days ago that their relationship was still a secret.

That obviously didn't stop Aaron from worrying. Spencer knew if there was the slightest hint that Strauss knew, Aaron would call everything off. His lover had made that quite clear the first time they kissed.

What was Spencer supposed to say? _My unofficial NA sponsor is higher on the food chain than Strauss will ever be and knows the political games she plays. Hell, he went so far as to saying 'Crucifying Hotchner and Gideon did her more damage than good' and added, 'She won't get past Assistant Director of the unit. Trust me. If Hotchner wants to leapfrog her, all he has to do is give the signal.'_

Spencer let out a sigh and wandered back into the bedroom.

Well, if Aaron truly believed this was the 'last time', Spencer was going to make sure that it was a hell of a last time. He crawled back in bed.

/***/


	2. F is for Frown

/***/

Aaron planned to make a Sunday-style breakfast for the Thursday morning, but Spencer…well, Spencer woke him up with a blowjob, which turned into Spencer riding him to an exquisite orgasm. Aaron tried to reciprocate but Spencer held him down, whispered odes of love and sex, as he worked himself off. When he came on Aaron's belly and chest, Spencer delivered a searing kiss, one that left Aaron's lips a little bruised and tender.

It was an acknowledgment of Aaron's fears, touching and terrifying at the same time. He still wasn't used to a perceptive lover like Spencer, one who took in the details and then searched for the reasons behind the motivations. It was unfair to compare Spencer to Haley and Aaron tried his best not to do it, but occasions such as these made him wonder: would Haley have figured it out?

When Aaron got out of the shower and went to the stand where he had put the clothing he was going to wear out the night before, his trusty gray suit, white shirt and maroon tie had been replaced by the navy pinstripe suit, pale blue French cuff shirt, and dark Chanel tie. It was the suit he usually wore when testifying at difficult trials when he knew the defense was going to be especially tough. On top of the stand were the cufflinks Haley had given him when he had graduated law school and the tie bar he'd received from Rossi during his first year at the BAU. The American flag lapel pin was slightly larger than the one he traditionally wore, and he realized it was the one that Gideon had given him.

It stopped Aaron cold.

He bit his lips together and turned his head sharply to the side. As verbose as Spencer could be, it was these moments of tacit understanding that hit Aaron the hardest.

Aaron dressed quickly, hating the slight shake of his hands but knew he would have himself under control by the time he left the apartment. He went out to the kitchen and cursed when he saw the mug next to the coffeemaker. It was the stoneware one that Jack had given him last year for Christmas, the one with Jack's three year old handprint in paint on the side. Aaron was half-expecting the brewed coffee to be that savory Hawaiian roast that Spencer brought over a few months ago, but one taste confirmed it was Maxwell House.

When Spencer emerged from the bedroom fully dressed five minutes later, Aaron was already on his second cup of coffee and found himself nearly glaring at his lover. Spencer simply brushed past him, filled his travel mug with coffee and sugar, and turned off the coffeemaker.

"Spencer," Aaron started, hating that his voice sounded strained.

Spencer looked at him for a few seconds and then leaned forward, brushing his lips against Aaron's. He didn't have to say, _Whatever the outcome is, we'll deal with it._ Aaron responded with a desperate kiss of his own, sloppy and shaky, and Spencer clutched the lapels of Aaron's coat to keep his balance.

Aaron couldn't say the words, _I love you._

Spencer's shy smile and his thumb stroking gently over Aaron's still-wet lips translated as, _I love you, too._

_~~~~~_

Spencer buried himself with paperwork that morning. He knew as long as he kept busy, he wouldn't be tempted to check the clock and then the glass doors leading in to the BAU every thirty seconds. It wasn't until Morgan slapped his hand down on the dwindling pile of folders on his desk that Spencer looked up.

"Damn it, kid," Morgan said with exasperation, "could you slow it down a bit? You're making the rest of us look bad." Despite frustrated tone in the other agent's voice, his worry and concern were clear in his eyes.

Spencer glanced at clock on his computer monitor and knew he blanched. Eleven twenty-four. _Fuck._

"Let's get you a refill on that coffee," Morgan suggested, which was his uncharacteristically clumsy way of offering to listen.

Yet before he could retort that if Morgan wanted him to slow down, the additional caffeine wasn't the way to go, Hotch strode into the BAU office with a thick folder in his hand, called out "Team? Conference room," and went straight to Rossi's office.

As Morgan, Prentiss and Spencer got up, Garcia and JJ walked into the BAU main office and headed straight for the conference room. They were both loaded down with files, which translated as them having a new case.

Spencer relaxed just a bit; it was perfectly reasonable that Aaron had ended up in JJ's office right after the meeting with Strauss. Initial case briefings were sometimes as short as a minute or as long as a half-hour. Spencer sorely hoped it was the latter.

Once he walked into the conference room, he locked up his personal feelings as tightly as he could. When the briefing started—a child abduction in Schenectady—Spencer knew that there wouldn't be any time on the trip to New York to discuss personal things. It would have to wait.

So he focused on the case and ignored the constant frown on Aaron's face.

He had to.

He _had_ to.

Seventeen hours wasn't the record for solving a child-abduction case by any stretch of the imagination. The entire Team knew that each hour that passed substantially reduced the likelihood of finding the victim alive. Thankfully, luck was on their side.

The little girl was reunited with her aunt and uncle and the former step-father under arrest.

The post-case adrenaline hadn't worn off by the time the team reached the jet to go home; JJ and Prentiss challenged Spencer to a round of snack-food poker and Spencer's playful reply was, "Good, because I'm hungry."

As they pulled their luggage from the back of the SUVs, Aaron briefly grasped Spencer's elbow, the unspoken request for him to linger so they could talk privately. The rest of the team either didn't notice or pretended not to and they boarded the jet.

Once they were out of sight, Spencer's face transformed from flushed with success and eager to best his colleagues in poker to outright worry. Aaron forced a small smile as he pulled out three playing cards from his inner coat pocket. "I think you'll need these when you play."

They were the three, seven and ten of diamonds.

Spencer's brow furrowed.

Aaron said softly, "You told me once that each playing card had a specific meaning, and those meanings varied from culture to culture as well as over time. This combination," he tugged open Spencer's jacket and slid the card into his breast pocket, "is supposed to mean a secret wish come true."

Spencer stared.

Aaron's hand slid up to trace the line of Spencer's jaw. He couldn't kiss him, not here, no matter how badly he wanted to. However, he knew he would have plenty of opportunities that night when he told him, "It did."

/***/


End file.
